petdiabetesfandomcom-20200216-history
Blood sugar guidelines
Blood sugar guidelines * Absolute numbers vary between pets, and with meter calibrations. The numbers below are as shown on a typical home glucometer while hometesting blood glucose, not necessarily the more accurate numbers a vet would see (though many vets use meters similar to those used in hometesting). For general guidelines only, the levels to watch are approximately: What's too high? At high readings, combined with inadequate administration of insulin, and not eating or drinking enough, or an infection, animals can sometimes quickly develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is immediately life-threatening. Always check urine for ketones at high readings. Of course, cats at much lower levels who have inadequate insulin supply coupled with infection, dehydration, or fasting can also develop ketones. Some vets use a "sliding scale" regarding maximum permissible blood glucose values in dogs, "allowing" blind dogs or dogs with cataracts to use the concept of remaining under 250 at all times, with sighted dogs and dogs without cataracts ideally under 200. Others apply the "under 200"Valley Animal Hospital Diabetes for Dummies-Why is it Critical to Keep Glucose at 80-200 for dogs at all times without exceptions. Cats are quite resilient to high blood glucose compared to dogs, and some cats lead reasonably normal lives at levels between 200 and 350 all day long. Neuropathy and other long-term effects can still build up over time, though. Evidence from humans, mice, and in-vitro tissue studies show that damage to the pancreatic beta cells (the ones that make insulin) continues down to levels as low as 140mg/dL.Research connecting organ damage with Blood Sugar level. This is why the AACE guidelinesNew AACE guidelines for Type-2 glucose average, 1999 recommend average blood sugars (for humans) of no more than 170, preferably between 65 and 136.Conversion from HbA1c to Blood Glucose level See hyperglycemia. Why you still need Ketostix/Ketodiastix While home testing blood with a meter can tell you what your pet's blood glucose levels are, most can't do blood ketone testing. When you have high blood glucose levels, doing ketone testing with Ketodiastix or Ketostix is good practice to make sure your pet doesn't have ketones. Renal threshold The renal threshold for glucose is defined as the blood glucose level where the kidneys begin excreting excess glucose into the urine. Certain side effects on the urinary tract begin at this level, and it's also fairly close to the level where other organ damage seems to occur, though there's no actual causal relationship. This number is a bit different for every animal, and various authorities have declared it to be at different standard levels. For example: What's normal? Normal blood glucose values for non-diabetic cats and dogsNew Hope Animal Hospital-Canine Diabetes Mellitus range from 80-150Long Beach Animal HospitalFeline Endocrinology-Diet & Regulation as measured on a vet's glucometer. Home glucometers used on animals tend to read a bit lower in the below-100 ranges, (reasons not yet understood), and so will frequently show lower numbers (see chart above) that are not cause for alarm. The Feline Diabetes Message Board FAQFeline Diabetes Message Board FAQ lists 60-120mg/dL (3.3 - 6.7 mmol/L) as "normalized" when not receiving insulin, and 60-150 (3.3-8.3) as "tightly regulated" when receiving insulin. Diabetes being the "individual" disease it is, allows for many personal exceptions. A dog on the canine diabetes message board Canine Diabetes Message Board who was tightly controlled developed hypoglycemia symptoms every time his blood sugar dropped to 85 or below. The solution was to slightly reduce his insulin which kept him at slightly higher bg levels. Interpretation Note that no single blood glucose reading is adequate to establish insulin dosage or recommended treatment. Blood glucose levels should be checked before each shot, but that alone is also not enough to determine if treatment is working. Please see curve and regulation and duration for more information on this tricky subject. Further reading *Determination of Rate Natural Blood Glucose in Persian Cats-WSAVA 2003 *Healthy Blood Sugar Targets (for humans, long term) *Dog ear infection *Pancreatitis in dogs *Ivermectin for dogs *How long are dogs pregnant *Why do dogs eat grass *Purina dog chow coupons References Category:Introduction Category:Regulation Category:Terms